I’M STARTING this blog post with a question: Why did 3.2 million Americans tune in to watch Honey Boo Boo’s parents get married?
Of all the shows on television, that’s what you choose to watch? I keep saying that the mainstream media and the news channels don’t report the news. That they’re based solely on ratings, what their corporate sponsors want them to report on, and of course, they all take orders from the bigwigs upstairs.
But people, we are part of the problem here. If 3.2 million Americans tuned in to watch a reality show, which — spoil alert — is as real as wrestling, then what do you think will be the main topic of discussion tomorrow morning on all the news channels? Mainstream media reports entertainment news, what they know will sell, instead of focusing on reality.
Everyone always asks me, “Governor, do you really live off the grid? What the heck do you do down there, without TV? Don’t you get bored?”
The short answer is no, I’m never bored. I wake up every day, unplugged from the rat race. I call it recharging my brain. It’s the best life: I eat fresh fish, caught the same day, and vegetables that come straight from the ground, without GMOs or preservatives. I get my electricity from the sun, and I get the best exercise of my life on my surfboard.
But what I really look forward to is reading. I live half the year in Mexico, and for the six months I’m down here, I read. I read about 20 books every winter. And every winter, I read more books than in my entire school career. I read non-fiction books on interesting topics that relate to history and real issues, and I find the information to be truly fascinating and eye-opening.
I think it’s incumbent upon all of us as American citizens to pay attention. You know, you have time to watch baseball, you have time to watch football, you have time to watch Honey Boo Boo’s parents get married, but I think we’re losing a knowledgeable public at the same time. We’ve got to get people back on track, paying attention, because if you don’t pay attention to what your government is doing, you’re going to pay some dire consequences for it. Government shutdown? The TPP? Need I say more? (If you don’t know what TPP means, time to Google.)
I always aspire to live by simple quotes that everyone should heed. Like: “Dissension is the greatest form of patriotism.” I truly believe that. If you don’t hold our elected officials accountable, if you don’t pay attention to what they’re doing, then you are going to get bad government.
If you don’t already know, find out who your elected officials are and look into what they stand for. Take your right to vote seriously. If 42 percent of Americans really consider themselves politically independent, then I want to see less DemoCRIP and ReBLOODlican gang members elected in 2014 and 2016. I want to see actions speak louder than words in this country. I want to see a revolution!
So if you’ve already broken your New Year’s resolution or you never got around to making one, make a commitment to educate yourself on what’s really going on in our country. If you need some guidance, I’ve posted some of my favorite library books here.
Peace,
Gov. Jesse Ventura
#StayVigilant
Off the Grid 